How to Repurpose Your Film...or How Not to Get Burned in the YouTube Furnace

In 2021, with little roadmap and even less certainty about where it might lead, British documentary filmmaker John Edginton launched his own YouTube channel. He had a simple but pressing question: could YouTube offer documentary makers something real — new outlets, new audiences, new sources of funding — or was it just a furnace waiting to consume your hard-won work?

Five years later, he has his answer. The channel has grown to over 50,000 subscribers, and along the way Edginton has accumulated scores of hard-earned lessons about what works, what doesn't, and what no one tells you before you hit upload for the first time.

A veteran of the documentary world and a returning favorite at the Woods Hole Film Festival, Edginton brings a filmmaker's eye and a practitioner's candor to this conversation. He'll walk through the real experience of repurposing documentary content for digital platforms — the creative decisions, the algorithmic realities, the unexpected opportunities, and the traps that catch even experienced filmmakers off guard.

This is a must-attend session for any filmmaker wondering whether YouTube is a viable next chapter for their work — or anyone curious about what independent distribution actually looks like in 2025, without the gatekeepers.

You can explore John's channel at youtube.com/@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES.